This Great Big Dysfunctional World Family

I almost titled this blog "The President Ain't Your Daddy".

I was watching some interviews of Gulf Coast residents this week regarding the oil.  Everytime I see anything on it, I just get so mad seeing that shit floating in the water.  I think about what it's ruining down there: the water, the flora and fauna, the wildlife, the industry, the way of life, etc.  

One man was clearly pissed at the President because he wasn't doing enough to fix it.  "He needs to quick flying back and forth down here and playing basketball and whatever else he's doing and get it fixed....." was the quote that pretty much summed up the man's feelings. 

Now keep in mind, he's not President of B.P.  He is President of U.S.A.  So obviously, this is not only his problem to fix but somehow his fault that it even happened.

Let me make this more personal and close to home for me and maybe for some other peeps out there.

My company is currently in a state of hardship.  People are being let go, hours are being cut and we're all nervous.  The stress and tension are curling through the office like sneaky biting snakes and its affecting everyone's attitudes and behaviors.  So what do we do?  Get mad at the Big Man, of course......the boss! 

If we're losing money, the work's not coming in, the customers aren't paying, the economy's bad....whatever.....it's his fault, right?  He's the Captain of this ship, so if it leaks or sinks it's his fault, right?  If something gets broken or damaged it's his job to fix it or make whoever messed it up pay for it, right?

Right?????

Nobody ever thinks about the sinking ship or the rotting coastline or the burning building as being the Big Man's baby.....his dream...his life.....his future and his past.  I guess because he's in that big house far away from it all he really doesn't care or get it.

Right????

Maybe it's not our fault because we were all raised in a patriarchal society.  We not only look for The Man to fix things, but we're quick to blame him when they go wrong.  I'm a Feminist through and through, but even I see that I do this.  

I was most happy when I saw a Gulf resident this morning say that he thought he and his fellow neighbors should be allowed to do their part of the cleaning because it was their community.  He had OWNERSHIP.  Good for him.  He wasn't blaming.  He was all about fixing.

But I have to say one thing President Obama did in these last few weeks that did impress me.  He was famously quoted as saying (and then criticized by some for it) that he needed to get the facts so he could know "whose ass to kick" for this oil spill.  If that ain't something a Daddy would say, I don't know what is. 

Well, at least my Daddy would say it.....